Tag - alcohol

 
 

ALCOHOL

Nobuhiro Torii, president of Suntory Spirits, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Oct. 27.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2023
Suntory to boost output as Japanese whisky sees global boom
Suntory Spirits has begun two-year renovations at its Yamazaki distillery in Osaka Prefecture and its Hakushu distillery in Yamanashi Prefecture.
In addition to its regular whiskies, Suntory is released a limited-edition 100th Anniversary Hibiki blend retailing at $5,000 per bottle.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 5, 2023
A century of Suntory's whisky mastery costs $5,000 per bottle
Suntory's 100th anniversary blends are already selling for double their original retail prices online.
Shibuya's local government has mounted a campaign to dissuade revelers from visiting the neighborhood for Halloween celebrations and has banned drinking in the streets.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 30, 2023
Shibuya wants to cancel Halloween. That's a mistake.
This year, Shibuya isn't dressing up for Halloween. The neighborhood is turning revelers away, ignoring its role as a youth culture hub.
People visit Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Saturday, including a handful of costumed revelers gathering in the trendy area to celebrate the weekend before Halloween.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 29, 2023
Security tight for Halloween in Shibuya as costumed crowds fail to show
Measures to deter costumed revelers from gathering in the trendy area — including a ban on street drinking — appeared to be relatively effective.
Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe speaks during an interview at his office on Oct. 19.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023
Can Shibuya's mayor turn his ward into a global icon?
For Mayor Ken Hasebe, reining in Halloween revelers is just one step on the way to transforming Shibuya.
A representative of Chevalier Brewery presents a bottle of its sake adapted to French drinkers' tastes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 15, 2023
Sake fights an uphill battle for France’s wine lovers
Among many French drinkers, sake is still associated with cheap, low-quality alcohol only served at the end of meals in Japanese restaurants.
Sake master Daisuke Suzuki (right) and a staff member sort rice at his brewery in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on Sept. 1.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2023
Fukushima sake brewer warms shattered fishing community
A local sake maker has returned to Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, years after disaster wiped out its brewery there.
From happōshu to real beer, Japan’s tax changes aim to improve brewing quality and prices.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 6, 2023
Amid rising costs, why is Japan making beer cheaper?
A 350-milliliter can of brew costs drinkers about ¥7 (5 cents) less from October, thanks to changes in the country’s tax system.
A prescription injector for Ozempic, a weight loss drug
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2023
Ozempic cuts alcohol cravings. Liquor companies aren’t ready.
A survey conducted by Morgan Stanley’s AlphaWise research unit found that people consumed 62% less alcohol while taking weight loss drugs.
Drinking can be an unavoidable part of life in Japan, so what can do you to offset the worst of the damage?
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 23, 2023
Can't curb your drinking? These steps will reduce the harm
The current evidence makes it pretty clear that even a little alcohol is bad for your health.
Bottles of whisky sit on display behind the bar at the Door XXV private club in the Golden Equator Group office in Singapore.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023
Asia takes over the world’s whisky market
Yearslong efforts by Pernod, Diageo and other major whiskey producers to get Asian drinkers to spend more on their premium spirits are finally paying off.
Digital transformation minister Taro Kono (right) speaks during a news conference at the Digital Agency in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 6, 2023
Japan to test use of My Number cards for alcohol and ticket sales
The agency will work with private business operators to examining whether use of My Number cards will help improve the efficiency of identity checks.
Tourists walk in front of Crown and Anchor pub on Neal Street in London in 2018. Pubs are big part of British culture.
WORLD / Society
Sep 4, 2023
What’s really killing Britain’s historic pubs
With each time-honored spot that’s shuttered, another little piece of British history is lost.
Suntory Beverage & Food's chief executive Makiko Ono sees Australia as a model for integrating canned alcoholic drinks into offerings in other global markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023
Suntory Beverage sees Australia as model for can cocktail growth
The company is considering building a factory in Australia's northeastern city of Brisbane to produce canned drinks.
At the inaugural World Lambrusco Day held this June, the sparkling wine took center stage beneath the Eiffel Tower.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 20, 2023
Passe or sparkling, Lambrusco can get you through a Tokyo summer
Fizzy, fruity and tantalizingly affordable, the sparkling red wine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region is a convivial antidote to the summertime blues.
In 1990, there were five times as many men who had alcohol use disorder than women — now it’s two times, according to the director of a research institute on alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023
Women are drinking more alcohol and it’s killing them
Analysis of data from the CDC found that alcohol-related deaths among women increased by nearly 15% per year between 2018 and 2020.
Kiminoi Shuzo's brewery (pictured in 1904) has been a fixture of the community in Arai, Niigata Prefecture, since its 1894 founding.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 13, 2023
Struggling Niigata sake sees ‘a future in Japan’s past’
New challenges are forcing Niigata’s brewers to adapt their ancient craft to changing times, a balancing act that is often easier said than done.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2023
Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery turns 100 as whisky demand enjoys renewed boom
Japan's acclaimed aged whiskies are commanding increasingly eye-watering prices thanks to growing demand and long-standing shortages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2023
The world’s fastest-growing whisky market is South Korea
South Koreans consumed 14.2 million liters of whisky in 2022, a small amount compared with other nations, but up 46% from 2021.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 13, 2023
Sapporo Holdings to shutter century-old San Francisco brewer Anchor Brewing
Sapporo bought the maker of Anchor Steam beer to gain a foothold in the U.S. craft-beer market and make up for declining domestic consumption but has failed to turn its fortunes around.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?